1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a convertible container holding assembly. More specifically, the invention relates to a convertible container holding assembly capable of holding containers of varying sizes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Convertible container holding assemblies found in motor vehicles are commonly referred to as cupholders. Demands have been placed on cupholder design to minimize the motion of the cup being held to reduce the potential and magnitude of spills. One factor relating to spills is the relative motion between the cup and the cupholder. One way to reduce this relative motion is to stabilize the cup within the cupholder.
One attempt to stabilize the cup within the cupholder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,008, issued to Schutter, et al., on Jun. 18, 1996. This patent discloses a convertible container holding assembly including a retractable base which extends between a retracted position and an extended position. Two arm portions pivot to an outermost position when the base is moved to the extended position. A pawl and ratchet are associated with each of the arm portions. If the cup being held has a smaller diameter than the diameter created by the arm portions in the outermost position and the base, the arm portions may be moved inwardly toward the base where they are locked in position by the pawls securing against specific detents in the ratchets. Although this cupholder acknowledges the need for positioning the arm portions with respect to the cup being held thereby, the discreet positions of the arm portions are a direct function of the number of detents on the ratchet. Therefore, the arm portions cannot be positioned exactly where needed to ensure a secure fit between the cupholder and the cup being held.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,392, issued to Henricksen on Dec. 1, 1992, discloses a convertible container holding assembly having two arms which are pivotal about a base portion. The arms include three detents to position the arm in three different positions depending on the size of the cup being held. Again, this patent shows an appreciation for the need for varying the position of the arms. All cups cannot be properly held, however, using the three arbitrary positions in which the arms may be placed due to the three detents provided.